Joakim Persson
720245e010
Ship a launchd user agent plist alongside the existing systemd and
cron templates so macOS users can schedule mempalace-session without
falling back to cron. launchd is the macOS-native equivalent of a
systemd user timer: same scheduling model, same log conventions, same
single-instance guarantees.
- contrib/launchd/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist:
- Label uses reverse-DNS from the jordbo.se domain for consistency
with other user-installed launchd jobs; fork the prefix if reusing
this template in a different org.
- ProgramArguments points at /Users/USER/.local/bin/mempalace-session
(USER is substituted at install time, same pattern as
contrib/cron/).
- EnvironmentVariables.PATH covers ~/.local/bin, Apple Silicon
Homebrew, Intel Homebrew, and system defaults — launchd agents
get a minimal PATH by default and the wrapper needs to find
mempalace + python3.
- StartCalendarInterval matches systemd unit's schedule: Monday
03:00 local.
- RunAtLoad=false — load shouldn't trigger a run; schedule does.
- ProcessType=Background + LowPriorityIO=true + Nice=10 mirror
the systemd unit's Nice=10 + IOSchedulingClass=idle. macOS's
automatic App Nap and resource throttling for Background jobs
yields to interactive work cleanly.
- ExitTimeOut=7200 matches systemd's TimeoutStartSec=7200.
- StandardOut/ErrorPath under ~/Library/Logs/ so Console.app
surfaces them.
- contrib/README.md gains a full launchd section:
- Caveat table comparing to systemd (Persistent=true isn't quite
matched; RandomizedDelaySec has no equivalent; overlap prevention
is automatic).
- Install recipe using launchctl bootstrap (modern) with a fallback
note for legacy launchctl load -w on older macOS.
- Verify section shows launchctl list, launchctl print, log tails,
and launchctl kickstart for manual testing.
- Uninstall via launchctl bootout.
- Chooser table updated: macOS now explicitly points at launchd,
not cron.
- ARCHITECTURE.md §5, SKILL.md Quick automation pitch, and README.md
Keeping it fresh section all updated to mention the three scheduler
options and give per-platform quick-starts.
Plist XML validated with plistlib.
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Markdown
226 lines
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Markdown
# contrib/ — automation recipes for `mempalace-session`
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Manual invocation of `mempalace-session` is fine on a machine you actively drive. For long-running devboxes, a weekly automated mine keeps the palace fresh without thinking about it. This directory ships ready-to-use templates for two common scheduling mechanisms.
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> **Before using either**: confirm the toolkit is installed and the wrapper works —
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> `mempalace-session --dry-run` should list qualifying sessions. If that errors, fix the install before scheduling.
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Pick **one**. Running both would double-mine (harmless — dedup skips everything on the second run — but wastes wall time on the HNSW repair).
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---
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## systemd user timer (recommended on modern Linux)
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**Why:** runs without the user logged in (with `loginctl enable-linger`), survives reboots, logs to `journalctl`, Persistent=true catches missed runs after the machine was off. No root required — it's a *user* unit.
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**Install:**
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```bash
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mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user
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cp contrib/systemd/mempalace-session.service ~/.config/systemd/user/
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cp contrib/systemd/mempalace-session.timer ~/.config/systemd/user/
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systemctl --user daemon-reload
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systemctl --user enable --now mempalace-session.timer
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# Optional: keep the timer running when you log out (needed on headless servers)
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sudo loginctl enable-linger "$USER"
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```
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**Verify:**
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```bash
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# Is the timer active and when will it next fire?
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systemctl --user list-timers mempalace-session.timer
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# Last run status + log tail
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systemctl --user status mempalace-session.service
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# Full run log (since today)
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journalctl --user -u mempalace-session --since today
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# Force a run right now (outside the schedule), for testing
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systemctl --user start mempalace-session.service
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```
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**Uninstall:**
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```bash
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systemctl --user disable --now mempalace-session.timer
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rm ~/.config/systemd/user/mempalace-session.{service,timer}
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systemctl --user daemon-reload
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```
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### What the service does
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- `Type=oneshot` — runs to completion, not a long-lived daemon.
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- `ConditionPathExists=%h/.local/share/opencode/opencode.db` — skips silently on machines that haven't used opencode (no wasted boot-time runs).
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- `ConditionPathExists=!%t/mempalace-session.lock` + `ExecStartPre/ExecStopPost` — soft mutual exclusion between overlapping runs.
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- `Nice=10` + `IOSchedulingClass=idle` — background priority; won't interfere with interactive work.
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- `TimeoutStartSec=7200` — 2 hour ceiling. The reference 60-session mine takes ~21 min; this is headroom for large corpora + slow disks.
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### What the timer does
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- `OnCalendar=Mon 03:00` — weekly, Monday 03:00 local time. Edit to taste (see `man systemd.time` for syntax).
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- `Persistent=true` — if the machine was off at the scheduled time, run on next boot.
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- `RandomizedDelaySec=30m` — jitters up to 30 minutes to avoid thundering-herd across a fleet.
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---
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## launchd user agent (macOS)
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**Why:** the macOS-native equivalent of a systemd user timer. Runs without a Terminal window open, logs to `~/Library/Logs/`, single-instance guarantees baked in, background-priority scheduling via `ProcessType=Background`. No Homebrew or third-party scheduler required.
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**Caveats vs. systemd:**
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| Systemd feature | launchd equivalent | Notes |
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|---|---|---|
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| `Persistent=true` catches missed runs | Partial — `StartCalendarInterval` fires on next system-awake time | If the Mac is fully off at scheduled time, the run is skipped. Sleep-at-schedule → fires on wake. |
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| `RandomizedDelaySec=30m` | None native | Single-user machines rarely need jitter; add a `sleep $((RANDOM % 1800))` wrapper if you do. |
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| `ConditionPathExists` | None native | `mempalace-session` exits cleanly when the opencode DB is missing, so no guard is strictly needed. |
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| Lock file for overlap prevention | Automatic | launchd refuses to start a second instance of the same `Label` while one is running. |
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**Install:**
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```bash
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# Substitute your username into the template
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sed "s|USER|$USER|g" contrib/launchd/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist \
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> ~/Library/LaunchAgents/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist
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# Ensure the log directory exists
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mkdir -p ~/Library/Logs
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# Modern load (macOS 10.11+). "gui/$(id -u)" targets your login session.
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launchctl bootstrap "gui/$(id -u)" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist
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launchctl enable "gui/$(id -u)/se.jordbo.mempalace-session"
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```
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> On older macOS or if you hit permissions errors with `bootstrap`, fall back to the legacy form:
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> `launchctl load -w ~/Library/LaunchAgents/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist`
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**Verify:**
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```bash
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# Quick check — is the job registered?
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launchctl list | grep mempalace-session
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# Detailed state (next run time, last exit code, throttling)
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launchctl print "gui/$(id -u)/se.jordbo.mempalace-session"
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# Run log tail
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tail -f ~/Library/Logs/mempalace-session.log
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tail -f ~/Library/Logs/mempalace-session.err.log
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# Force a run right now (outside the schedule), for testing
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launchctl kickstart -p "gui/$(id -u)/se.jordbo.mempalace-session"
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```
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**Uninstall:**
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```bash
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launchctl bootout "gui/$(id -u)" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist
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rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/se.jordbo.mempalace-session.plist
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# Optional — keep the old logs for post-mortem, or delete them:
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# rm ~/Library/Logs/mempalace-session{,.err}.log
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```
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### What the plist does
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- `Label=se.jordbo.mempalace-session` — reverse-DNS label; shows up in `launchctl list` and Console.app. Change the prefix if you're forking this for a different org.
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- `ProgramArguments` — absolute path to `mempalace-session`. Template uses `/Users/USER/.local/bin/mempalace-session`; the install `sed` substitutes your actual username.
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- `EnvironmentVariables.PATH` — covers `~/.local/bin`, Apple Silicon Homebrew (`/opt/homebrew/bin`), Intel Homebrew (`/usr/local/bin`), and system defaults. launchd agents get a minimal PATH by default, and `mempalace-session` needs to find `mempalace` + `python3`.
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- `StartCalendarInterval` — `Weekday=1, Hour=3, Minute=0` = Monday 03:00. Omit any key to match "any" (e.g. drop `Weekday` for daily).
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- `RunAtLoad=false` — don't run on load/reboot, only on schedule. Flip to `true` if you want a run at every boot.
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- `ProcessType=Background` + `LowPriorityIO=true` + `Nice=10` — macOS throttles this job's CPU and I/O so it yields to interactive work.
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- `ExitTimeOut=7200` — 2h ceiling, matches the systemd unit.
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- `StandardOut/ErrorPath` — `~/Library/Logs/` is the macOS convention; Console.app picks these up automatically.
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---
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## cron
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**Why:** simpler, ubiquitous, works on any UNIX. No `loginctl enable-linger` dance, no user-units awareness required.
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**Caveats:** no "persistent" semantics (a missed run while the machine was off stays missed); default cron output goes to mail or is silently dropped if no MTA.
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**Install:**
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```bash
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# Edit the template first — replace USER with your actual username
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sed "s|USER|$USER|g" contrib/cron/mempalace-session.cron > /tmp/mempalace-session.cron
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# Append to your existing crontab (preserves any entries you already have)
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(crontab -l 2>/dev/null; cat /tmp/mempalace-session.cron) | crontab -
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rm /tmp/mempalace-session.cron
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# Verify
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crontab -l | grep mempalace
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```
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Ensure `~/.cache/mempalace-session/` exists so the log file can be written:
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```bash
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mkdir -p ~/.cache/mempalace-session
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```
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**Verify a run is happening:**
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```bash
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# Tail the log the cron entry writes to
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tail -f ~/.cache/mempalace-session/cron.log
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# Or force a run manually to prove the command is well-formed
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mempalace-session
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```
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**Uninstall:**
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```bash
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crontab -e # remove the mempalace-session line by hand
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```
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---
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## Which should I pick?
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| Situation | Pick |
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| Desktop / laptop, modern systemd-based Linux distro | systemd user timer |
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| macOS (any recent version) | launchd user agent |
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| Long-running Linux devbox or server, wants "Persistent=true" catch-up | systemd user timer |
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| BSD, Alpine, or Linux distro without systemd | cron |
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| You already have a cron-based job scheduler on the box | cron |
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| You want logs in `journalctl` (Linux) or Console.app (macOS) rather than a file | systemd user timer / launchd |
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If you're not sure: **systemd on Linux, launchd on macOS, cron only when neither is available**. All three wrap the same `mempalace-session` command — the difference is purely in *how* the box remembers to run it.
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---
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## Running inside a container (devbox)
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Inside a Docker-based devbox, neither systemd nor cron typically runs by default. Two options:
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1. **Schedule on the host, not the container** — have the host run `docker exec -u <user> <container> mempalace-session` on a timer. The container must be long-running (not per-invocation) for this to work.
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2. **Run a systemd-in-container setup** — viable but usually not worth the complexity for this alone.
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For most devbox users, a simple weekly manual run via `mempalace-session` (or a host-side cron that shells into the container) is the pragmatic choice. The tool is cheap enough that skipping a week costs nothing — dedup will catch up on the next run.
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---
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## Tuning
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**Frequency.** Weekly is the default because:
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- New sessions you care about are typically a handful per week per user.
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- Dedup is free on unchanged sessions, so there's no cost to running daily other than the ~5 min post-mine repair.
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- Weekly keeps the palace fresh enough that searches almost always return current context.
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**Daily or more:** edit `OnCalendar=` or the cron DOW field. On a daily schedule, add `--no-repair` to the wrapper invocation and let a separate weekly unit handle repair — otherwise you repair 7× more often than you need.
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**Monthly:** probably too infrequent. You'll search for "that thing we discussed last Tuesday" and miss it.
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---
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## See also
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- [`../../ARCHITECTURE.md`](../../ARCHITECTURE.md) §5 — operational routine (triggers, cadence) in full context.
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- [`../../SKILL.md`](../../SKILL.md) — the agent-side Operational Routine section for when an AI agent should suggest running this.
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